Eide Report & Ahtisaari Talks

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Kosovo set for 'breakaway' talks

Soon we will see the released version of Kai Eide's report on the status of the implementation of decent standards in Kosovo.

It is likely to be rather depressing reading. On one of the core aims of the international efforts in the region ever since Kosovo started to appear on the international agenda - the building of a multi-ethnic society - the reports allegedly says that "the situation is grim".

It's difficult to see how a harsher judgment on that critical issue can be formulated.

And on the economic side, there is no avoiding the conclusions that prospects are distinctly bleak.

Nevertheless, there is no reason whatsoever to postpone even further talks on the province's future status. That can has been kicked down the road for far too long already.

There is the belief in Kosovo that independence will sort out all of their problems. Regrettably, I believe this to be rather naive, and the thruth might well be the opposite.

After the Eide report there is likely to be the Ahtisaari talks to see how one can bring the status issue forward. And in all probability these will conclude during the Finnish presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2005.

It might look easy. But the easier it is made to be, the more likely is it that there will be graver problems further on.